OPTIMIZATION OF THE FORMING PROCESS OF GUTTER END CAP USING THE FINITE ELEMENT METHOD

The contribution deals with the optimization of the forming process with the use of FE analysis. The impact of the planar anisotropy and friction coefficient on the drawing process was evaluated in the numerical simulation. Optimization of metal blank size and shape with the use of metal forming simulation was also performed. Studied material was galvanized drawing quality steel which is used for the production of the rain gutter end cap. Effects of planar anisotropy and friction coefficient on the quality of steel stamping were evaluated with the use of FE simulation. The effect of anisotropy was also experimentally tested. The aim of this work was to determine the correct steel blank size and shape and to evaluate the effects of planar anisotropy on the thickness variation and wall wrinkling.

The enhancement of cutting capacity of a grinding wheel when processing ductile steel blank parts by ultrasonic activation

The study aimed to identify the relations between the sticking intensity and ultrasonic vibrations (UV) used for processing and evaluate the wheels’ performance when grinding ductile materials blank parts. The authors carried out the numerical simulation of local temperatures and the 3H3M3F steel workpiece temperature when grinding by ultrasonic activation. The study determined that the application of ultrasonic vibrations with the amplitude of 3 µm causes the decrease in local temperatures by 13…40 %, and in blank part temperature – up to 20 %. The calculation identified that the activation of ultrasonic vibrations with the amplitude of 3 µm causes the decrease in the glazing coefficient by 33 % for cutting grain and by 7 % for deforming grain. When increasing the longitudinal feed rate or the grinding depth, the glazing coefficient increases to a lesser degree when using the ultrasonic vibration than in the case without ultrasonic activation. The authors carried out the numerical simulation of local temperatures when scratching the 3H3M3F steel specimens by single abrasive grains with ultrasonic activation. The sticking deformation and the stresses resulted from this deformation and affecting the junction points of sticking with grains with and without ultrasonic vibrations application are calculated. The experimental research included the micro-cutting of specimens with single abrasive grains. The experiments identified that the abrasive grains wear out and glaze to a lesser degree when micro-cutting a workpiece with ultrasonic vibrations activation. The lowering of the intensity of sticking of the workpiece material particles to the abrasive grains due to the adhesion causes the decrease in the glazing coefficient when using ultrasonic activation. The study considered the possibility to enhance the efficiency of flat grinding through the use of the energy of ultrasonic vibrations applied to a blank part in the direction with the grinding wheel axis. A workpiece fixed in the device between the vibration transducer and the support is one of the components of a vibration system. The authors performed the experiment when grinding 3H3M3F and 12H18N10T steel workpieces with the wheel face. When grinding with ultrasonic vibrations, the grinding coefficient increases up to 70 %, and the redress life increases twice or thrice.

Research on a New Localized Induction Heating Process for Hot Stamping Steel Blanks

Localized induction heating with one magnetizer was experimentally analyzed in order to investigate the altering effect of the magnetizer on the magnetic field. A 22MnB5 blank for tailored property was locally heated to produce the parts of a car body in white, such as the B-pillars. A lower-temperature region with a temperature in the two-phase zone and a full-austenitic high-temperature region were formed on the steel blank after 30 s. After water-quenching, the mixture microstructure (F + M) and 100% fine-grained lath martensite were obtained from the lower- and high-temperature regions, respectively. Moreover, the ultimate tensile stress (UTS) of the parts from the lower- and high-temperature regions was 977 and 1698 MPa, respectively, whereas the total elongations were 17.5% and 14.5%, respectively. Compared with the parts obtained by conventional furnace heating–water quenching (UTS: 1554 MPa, total elongation: 12%), the as-quenched phase developed a tensile strength over 100 MPa greater and a higher ductility. Thus, the new heating process can be a good foundation in subsequent experiments to arbitrarily tailor the designable low-strength zone with a higher ductility by using magnetizers.

3rd Generation AHSS : Mechanistic Responses Enabling Cold Deformation during Stamping

Due to increasingly stringent regulations governing fuel economy and emissions, new technological developments towards automobile efficiency are in play including lightweighting by reducing weight of the structural components. The historical development of steel grades for autos has resulted in strength increases, including in recent advanced high strength steels (AHSS), but it has come with commensurate decreases in ductility and formability. NanoSteel 3rdGeneration AHSS overcomes the trade-off in ductility due to novel structural changes during cold deformation through a complex Nanophase Refinement and Strengthening (NR&S) mechanism leading to material strengthening. During stamping, the ability of a steel blank to be formed into complex parts is paramount and it has to retain sufficient ductility for energy absorption during a subsequent crash event. In this paper, the specific characteristics of the NR&S mechanism in two NanoSteel grades will be detailed including structure and property changes during stamping analyzed by utilizing destructive and non-destructive approaches to predict localized yield strength changes in the final stampings.

Diffusion Analyses Using GDOES Technique of the 22MnB5 Press Hardened Steel with Al-Si and Zn-Ni Coatings

The hot stamping process consists to heat the steel blank, at total austenitization temperatures and to transfer it into the press tooling for forming and fast cooling to fully martensitic transformation. This transference from furnace to press stage promotes some steel oxidation. The application of metallic coatings avoids this phenomenon. The Al-Si coating, a patented process, has been the most applied on steel. Hence, alternative coatings like Zn-Ni are under development. It is known that this furnace heating causes chemical elements diffusion that results in intermetallics formation. This study had the objective of analyze the diffusion profiles of chemical elements present in the substrate, 22MnB5 steel, and coatings of Al-Si and Zn-Ni, using glow-discharge optical emission spectroscopy - GDOES and to correlate the results with those obtained with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy - EDS. The results showed that for the Zn-Ni sample, the Zn and Fe profiles at the interfacial zone, are predominant; which justify the high proportion of ZnFe phases as showed using scanning electron microscopy - SEM images. For the Al-Si sample at the interfacial zone, the profile of Al and Fe varies simultaneously; besides that, silicon diffusion in the substrate is more effectively than the nickel diffusion. For this reason, it was possible to identify AlFeSi phase near to the steel substrate.

Experimental investigation of high-temperature 40H steel blank cooling

The results of the full-scale experiment obtained at high-temperature 40H steel blank cooling with a flow of sub-cooled water are shown. To carry out experiments there is designed and assembled a device for a visual observation and fulfillment complex measurements of blank surface temperatures. For the 40H steel blank with a diameter of 24 mm, by the initial temperature of 800ºC, moving in a cooling area at a speed of m/s the experimental measurements of a surface temperature at cooling with a water flow at a speed of m/s are carried out. The initial water temperature is 20ºC. The measurements of a blank surface temperature were performed with the aid of a thermal imager of NEC TH9100 Pro WRI (Japan) type. There was not observed an intensive bleb steam formation in the flow of strong sub-cooled water. In the water flow at the blank border insignificant steam areas were observed which were carried away at once with a water flow. Changes of a typical temperature in a blank cooled with a water flow according to a time period are shown.

ALLISCO: pricing multiple joint products

Subjectarea Pricing, Marketing Management, Strategic Marketing, Strategic Management. Studylevel/applicability The case can be used for a Pricing Course and Strategic Marketing, Marketing Management and Strategic Management courses delivered to post-graduate management programme (Master’s level) students and/or for Management Development Programme’s. Caseoverview Alliance Intercontinental Sourcing Company LLP (ALLISCO) manufactured Steel Blanks for clutch plates used in two- and three-wheeler automobiles. Steel Blank plates further underwent a processing phase which included coating with leather cover to form the finished clutch plate. The primary raw material used by ALLISCO for its manufacturing process was sheet metal. The processing of the principal raw material resulted in the production of three joint products. The first joint product was “Steel Blank”, the main product; the second joint product was “Inner Circle”, which may be classified as a by-product; the third joint product was the left-over waste material and could be categorized as sheet scrap. The approximate increase in procurement cost of 8 per cent had considerably impacted the firm’s profit margins. The dilemma that Rishabh Singla, Managing Partner, ALLISCO, now faced was how the increased differential could be distributed systematically among the three joint products. The challenge for ALLISCO was to preserve the percentage of gross profit margins by altering its existing pricing strategy. Expectedlearning outcomes Understand the concept of multiple joint products; learn about choosing appropriate pricing strategies to price multiple joint products; comprehend how value-based pricing can extract untapped profits; and understand the importance of retaining gross profit margins (%). Supplementarymaterials Teaching notes are available for educators only. Please contact your library to gain login details or email [email protected] to request teaching notes.

Drilled Hole Technique for Created Single Point Incremental Forming Limited Diagram

To produce the forming limited diagram for predicting and studying material behavior in sheet metal forming, grid etching or grid marking on blank surface are applied before forming. But in single point incremental forming process, sheet metal blanks are subjected to highly strain or highly deformation which the conventional gridding is no longer to be occurred on the surface of formed part. And some material such as titanium, nickel based alloy etc are difficulty to etch the grid marks on its surface. So this paper is proposed the drilling hole technique to substitute with the grid etching technique in single point incremental forming process. The holes 2 mm. diameter were drilled on the SUS 304 stainless steel blank before forming. The deformed holes are calculated as true major strain and true minor strain and plot into a forming limited diagram. The results are compared with the conventional etching techniques which show an according trend. The drilling hole technique could be used in study the material behavior in single point incremental forming, it a low cost convenient and easy than grid etching technique.

Manufacturing Automobile B Pillar by a Digitized Hot Stamping Production System

For the manufacturing of high strength automobile body safety parts, a digitally controlled pilot production system for the hot stamping process was developed, including an electro-servo press, a numerically controlled heating furnace, a blank conveying system and a synchronized production line control system. By using the in-house developed hot stamping production system, automobile B pillars were manufactured from a proprietary high strength steel developed by Wuhan Iron and Steel (Group) Corporation. The steel blank was austenized in the furnace at 950°C for 5 min, followed by hot stamping. The overall cooling rate of the heated blank was above 35°C s-1 during the hot stamping process, which ensured a uniform martensitic microstructure with an average hardness above 460 HV1, a room temperature of tensile strength of 1489MPa and an elongation of 6.87%. The deviation of the formed part from the 3-D model is in the range between +0.623mm ~ -0.826mm.